[tkbigbore]

I want to get into hand loading i have a lee single stage press .I know i need a shell holder .
I found dies to http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/7628/460-Weatherby-Mag-Reloading-Dies

But besides that do i need anything else equipment wise?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

A chronograph...without one, you are basically loading blind (with or without a manual)

 

[StretchNM]

TK, maybe I shouldn;t say this, but....... Sinclair has some very nice reloading tools. He's very (very) proud of them too. He doesn;t really want to sell them....to me anyway. Maybe because I'm cheap, or....maybe because I'm a "shopper" for appropriately-priced products. Does that make sense? The paper and photographs in their catalogs are certainly high-quality though!!

Try some Lee dies for your Lee press. Maybe try Midway and KempfGunShop. All Lee dies come with the shellholder. You will also need a case trimming gauge and cutter, a primer pocket cleaner, appropriate sized bore brushes for cleaning inside the case mouth (neck), some case lube, calipers for measuring case length, a scale, and a case mouth deburring tool. All these things, except calipers, can be had from Lee or other makers. You'll also want some loading blocks and cartridge cases.

Good luck!

 

[broom_jm]

A chronograph...without one, you are basically loading blind (with or without a manual)

Ridgerunner,

I'm curious to know why you feel so strongly about needing a chronograph for reloading? I think many very experienced reloaders would beg to differ with you; that a chronograph is nice to have but is not at all a necessity for working up safe and accurate ammunition. Is there a particular reason you believe a chronograph is so essential?

Jason

 

[marsms]

Now, before you actually pay attention to anything I say, note that I do not have any real experience, and have yet to work up a good load for a gun...in fact, I've only loaded about 30 rounds so far.

Regardless, I would argue that a chronograph, while nice, is not at all "loading blind". This depends on your desired final outcome of course, but it seems to me that shooting a tight group is always more desirable than shooting 100 or 200 FPS faster. Imagine two guys at the range, one that just shot a tight group, and one that just shot a lousy group. Is the guy with the lousy group really going to brag because he has 250 FPS over the guy with the nice tight group? I say, work up your load to find what is most accurate. If you really feel you need more speed, then you can always up the load a bit more (provided it's not a maximum charge, and also not showing pressure signs)...just know that you will give up some accuracy in doing so. Of course, if you can afford a chronograph right away, go ahead...I suspect they would be a lot of fun!

I would reccomend you check out my thread a while back, titled something along the lines of "Reloading Equipment For Beginners". Flash and Stretch provide much invaluable advice for a beginning reloader, and there are many, MANY pages on the discussion of equipment.

Good luck to you, and a word of warning...it seems likely you will not be able to find enough time, components, or even the justification of need to be able to reload as much as you will like to once you reload your first cartridge.

Edit - Since I see Stretch has posted as well now, I'd like to add something...he kind of sold me on Lee equipment, and for that I am eternally greatful. The Lee equipment is quite inexpensive, and now that I have actually used it and read up alot more about it, it just always seems to be a better and better deal to me. I highly reccomend the Lee equipment, though I would imagine you will not go wrong with any popular brand.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Because all guns vary...in regards to chamber specs.

Most are within a set amount of variance...but there have been exceptions.

Brass....capacity varies.

Powders...varies by the lot.

Bullets...they may weigh the same, but bearing surface varies greatly.

Any so called "experienced" reloader who says a chrono is not essential...is not as experienced as he claims to be.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

A chrono is a means of seeing the pressure before it gets dangerous...its not all about the most velocity, its simply about knowing the velocity.

Which can be used to give a reasonably accurate estimate of pressure.


A chrono can tell you MUCH, MUCH more than just velocity...

 

[marsms]

Isn't that the point of working up from a "starting charge"?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

You wanna risk your fingers reading primer cups...you go right ahead, lots of people do.

You don't reload for many rounds do you???

45acp and the 45-70 are 2 common rounds that require the use of a chrono to measure pressure...why??? Because you won't see flat primers...you'll blow up your gun before the pressure gets high enough to flatten primers or cause sticky extraction.

I load for 45 Super (which is basically a 45acp at 28,000 psi)...it can't be done without a chrono.

45 Colt is another....loaded to 30,000 psi in a Ruger, without a chrono how would one know when to stop? It won't flatten primers...

 

[Ridgerunner665]

In a word - Yes.

You can't sum it up in one word...there's too much more to it.

with some rounds a chrono is not absolutely necessary...with others it is necessary (and this is a much longer list than you might think...which includes most ALL pistol rounds)

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I think it was Elmer Keith who once pressure tested a load he had used for quite some time...only to find out that it was running 60,000 psi.

Given, Mr. Keith was a well known experimenter...but this load showed no signs of being over pressure. It was a 44 magnum load if I remember correctly. (SAAMI spec is 36,000 psi)

And he used a chrono...but the point of that is to prove that reading primers is pretty ineffective with anything that normally runs at less than 60,000 psi.

 

[broom_jm]

A chrono is a means of seeing the pressure before it gets dangerous...its not all about the most velocity, its simply about knowing the velocity.

Which can be used to give a reasonably accurate estimate of pressure.


A chrono can tell you MUCH, MUCH more than just velocity...

I was hoping your answer would be a little more thought out than the above.

A chronograph will tell you the velocity of a given projectile and is a means of determining your avg. velocity spread. It does not calculate pressure in any way, shape, or form. Knowing your velocity allows you to calculate drop and wind deflection, if you know the ballistic coefficient of your bullet, which is only useful if you are shooting at long distances, or in high winds. For the majority of hunters (who do not reload OR own a chronograph) the velocity of their bullets is immaterial, and the same holds true for most of the people who DO reload. If the bullet is accurate and the load is safe in your gun, there is almost never a "need" to know the actual velocity.

People reloaded for decades before chronographs became affordable for the average consumer and while they are very "interesting", the simple truth is, you do NOT need one to reload your own ammunition, period. Follow the recipes in reloading manuals and watch for much more reliable signs of pressure than velocity, such as ease of extraction, primer flattening and incipient head separations. Telling a newbie he needs a chronograph is like telling a brand new driver they "need" a GPS navigation system. Both are convenient and helpful, but my no means essential.

 

[broom_jm]

I want to get into hand loading i have a lee single stage press .I know i need a shell holder .
I found dies to http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/7628/460-Weatherby-Mag-Reloading-Dies

But besides that do i need anything else equipment wise?

TK,

Sorry your thread is getting trashed: To get back on point, you do not "need" a chronograph. What cartridge(s) are you looking at reloading? The other thread referred to earlier is a great resource, as are other older threads that you can see at the very bottom of this page. If you get to where you're confused about something in particular, let us know and I'm sure we can help you get it figured out.

Jason

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Then how do you propose to read primers or extraction in a 45acp, 45-70, 45 Colt, 45 Super, 44 magnum, 44 special, etc....there is no more reliable pressure sign than velocity as long as you're using a published load.

And don't get me started on driving...I'm an OTR truck driver with over 3 million miles accident free. You gonna tell me I don't know how to do that too?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

TK,
What cartridge(s) are you looking at reloading?

Oh hahaha...now he asks the question.

After he says I trashed your thread...and after I made the suggestion that some rounds require a chrono, some don't.

To the OP...if you want to be truly safe, get the chrono.

They are only about $100...a small price to pay to keep your fingers.

 

[marsms]

Oh hahaha...now he asks the question.

After he says I trashed your thread...and after I made the suggestion that some rounds require a chrono, some don't.

To the OP...if you want to be truly safe, get the chrono.

They are only about $100...a small price to pay to keep your fingers.

Just for the record, Ridgerunner...you never asked the question either, and he didn't say YOU trashed the thread...just saying.

 

[broom_jm]

I think it was Elmer Keith who once pressure tested a load he had used for quite some time...only to find out that it was running 60,000 psi.

Given, Mr. Keith was a well known experimenter...but this load showed no signs of being over pressure. It was a 44 magnum load if I remember correctly. (SAAMI spec is 36,000 psi)

And he used a chrono...but the point of that is to prove that reading primers is pretty ineffective with anything that normally runs at less than 60,000 psi.

So, good ol' Elmer used a chrono, but it didn't tell him he was running the load too hot? He had to pressure test it? But, but...I thought that was why you "need" a chronograph?

I put together some "hot" loads for a 44/40. They are 200gr bullets and come across my chronograph ~1525fps. When working up said load, I tried a powder charge that was .5gr larger, and the flattened primers filled the pocket edge-to-edge. I absolutely assure you that load was nowhere near 60,000psi. FWIW, primer cup hardness varies by brand and type, BY DESIGN, such that they are typically a good indicator of over-pressure loads.

Note to the wise: When Elmer had this load pressure tested, the method in use was not as accurate as it is today and the 44Mag had a higher SAAMI specification. Given Elmer's tendency to "elaborate" it's entirely possible the load mentioned was over-pressure, but perhaps not as dramatically as he might have you believe.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Just for the record, Ridgerunner...you never asked the question either, and he didn't say YOU trashed the thread...just saying.

You're right...I didn't ask, but I made the suggestion for the chrono. Its a useful tool to have in the box...regardless of what round you are loading, but it is essential for quite a few rounds.

I'm pretty sure he was referring to me...and thats OK with me

I've said my piece on the matter...and I wish the OP the best in his endeavor to reload.

 

[marsms]

It would seem to me, based on the link he provided, he may be interested in reloading for the 460 Weatherby Magnum. This is just conjecture though, and it's entirely possible that the link only represents the type of die he though to use...guess he'll clear it up for us though!

 

[broom_jm]

Just for the record, Ridgerunner...you never asked the question either, and he didn't say YOU trashed the thread...just saying.

No, I actually feel guilty because I helped trash the thread! It's just that I don't want someone to get the false impression that you "need" a chronograph, or that you can magically determine safe load density or pressure by the use of one.